June 11, 2012 10:33 am

Barrel No. 51 is one of many trucks that will be at the inaugural Moveable Feast, July 29 at Cheney Stadium.

Restaurants on wheels grill up good eats all over the South Sound, but no real gathering place exists here for mobile food trucks to convene like they do in Olympia, Seattle or Portland.

Until now.

On July 29, Cheney Stadium will host the first mobile truck gathering in Tacoma. Called Moveable Feast, the event is organized by Alyson Jones, director of media and events for the Tacoma Rainiers. The one-day feast has room for about 40 mobile restaurants. So far, Jones has booked three Tacoma trucks – Celebrity Cake Studio’s Cake Mobile, Lumpia World and the Barrel No. 51 barbecue truck. She’s also confirmed two Olympia trucks and 17 more from Seattle (see the list below). The event will be free except for the cost of food from the trucks, which will set their own pricing.

Working with Jones is Odette D’Aniello, owner of Celebrity Cake Studio, which has its own hard-to-miss lavender cupcake truck. The Cake Mobile roams the region doling out sweet treats (the stand-alone Dome neighborhood bakery on 26th has some of my favorite cupcakes and petit fors in town). D’aniello told me by phone that she’s eager to promote her dessert truck and she hopes this will be a chance for small South Sound trucks to get better exposure and find new diners.

Unlike communities that have prominent food cart lots, or “pods,” featuring multiple dining choices (like here and here and here), and although there are more trucks operating here than ever before, Tacoma’s fledgling mobile food community has failed to coalesce at a central location. Even the Tollefson Plaza food cart pilot project, a city supported idea to attract food carts to a downtown plaza, hasn’t found many takers.

Jones, an avid food truck diner, is a fan of the burgeoning trend of mobile restaurants. “We have a lot of trucks, but we don’t have a culture here.” Prime example: She said trucks from Seattle, which has a booming mobile restaurant community, were quick to grasp the concept and immediately signed up for the event, while Tacoma trucks have been slow to respond, have been wary or have not responded at all. She’s hoping that getting the word out will get the attention of local trucks. Jones said she wonders if mobile food truck events like Moveable Feast would cement the idea of a gathering place for food trucks someplace in town. While Moveable Feast initially is planned to be a one-day deal, the food cart gathering could grow to become something regular if attendance is high enough, she said. For the inaugural event, they’re aiming for 5,000-7,000 diners. At the very least, she’d like it to be an annual event.

Tacoma Moveable FeastWhen: noon-7 p.m. Sunday July 29, 2012Cost: Free, other than the cost of food at the trucks. Free parking.VIP entry: 11 a.m.-noon; $10 buys an hour early access and a festival T-shirt. VIP tickets are the only way to get the shirt.Details: tacomafoodtruck.comEntertainment: Live music, a possible skate demo, and a kids zone with games, coloring, root beer floats and cupcake decorating.For beverages: Beer from local breweries is expected, including Harmon.Benefiting: A portion of the proceeds will go to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital